


confide in you

by carrotycake



Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Awkward Flirting, F/F, Interspecies Awkwardness, Interspecies Romance, JUST KISS ALREADY, Lesbians in Space, Shepard is a dork, a gay dork, dana shepard
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-15
Updated: 2017-07-15
Packaged: 2018-12-02 15:17:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11512044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/carrotycake/pseuds/carrotycake
Summary: "Commander, I have a question – what do humans sound like without translators?”The asari was wringing her hands nervously; she had obviously been pondering this question for some time. Shepard raised an eyebrow.“Is this for science, or for your own satisfaction?”*In which Shepard and Liara admit their feelings for each other, without the other knowing. This could only go well, right?





	confide in you

**Author's Note:**

> i have been playing. SO MUCh mass effect recently. i loved andromeda but i really missed the trilogy, so naturally went back to my liara romance save just to get nostalgic :')  
> anyway i'd love to write more with these two, but in the meantime have this silly fluff piece! comments & kudos are always appreciated <3

“Shepard, I...I have a question, if you don’t mind me asking,”

Dana looked up from her reports to see Liara sit down opposite her. She smiled.

“Is it another one about human culture? Fire away, Doctor.”

After telling Liara that she’d rather the asari come to her with questions than look up her personal files, the doctor had taken it to heart and would frequently venture out of her small office to discuss humans, Earth, and Shepard herself with her. In return, she would teach Shepard about the Protheans and about asari culture. Shepard had begun to enjoy these little information sessions; growing up homeless on Earth, she had skipped the history lessons where human kids were taught about the rest of the galaxy. And...well, Doctor T’Soni wasn’t bad company, put it that way.

“Well...actually, this one is a little different. You see, the asari have been using universal translators for years – we have so many different languages and dialects that it became impossible to communicate and trade with the different colonies without a common language. But these translators are a new phenomenon for humans, and I was merely curious – what do humans sound like without translators?”

The asari was wringing her hands nervously; she had obviously been pondering this question for some time. Shepard raised an eyebrow.

“Is this for science, or for your own satisfaction?”

“A bit of both,” replied Liara, “Translators are so ingrained in my own culture, yet I notice that you do not use yours when talking to the other humans on the _Normandy._ ”

“Huh,” said Shepard, “That’s interesting. So you always use a translator, even when speaking to other asari?”

Liara nodded, her eyes animated. “Yes, we’re so spread out across the galaxy that even the same basic language can evolve to sound completely different. It’s a fascinating concept, one I’d never considered before meeting y- ah, humans.”

“Are you suggesting, Liara, that _I’m_ a fascinating concept?”

“Yes – well, n-no – you are more than just a concept, Shepard, I-I mean...” Liara looked visibly flustered, her cheeks a deeper shade of blue than usual. Shepard giggled, and the asari frowned.

“You are teasing me, Shepard.”

Now it was Shepard’s turn to blush, and her eyes dropped back to her reports sitting on datapads, now forgotten. She had always, privately, wondered what aliens would sound like. It was a curiosity that had stemmed from when she was a little girl, watching the news boards on the skyscrapers talk about first contact.

She reached for her earpiece and deactivated it with her omni-tool, placing the little bit of plastic down on the table in front of her. Sliding off her omni-tool bracelet, she felt suddenly bare; as a tech specialist, she had barely removed her omni-tool since enlisting aged 18. Liara blinked; not taking her eyes off of Shepard, she did the same, and placed hers on the table in front of her.

Shepard felt suddenly embarrassed, and she was glad that there were no other crew members around to witness this. Not knowing what to say had never been a problem for her before; suddenly the whole situation felt a lot more intimate.

“Uh...hello?” she swallowed, nervously. “My name is Dana Shepard, I’m twenty-nine years old. The _Normandy_ is a pretty cool ship. Decent coffee is hard to come by.”

Liara was listening, obviously enraptured by Shepard’s words. “ _Dana Shepard. Normandy,”_ she repeated, listing the recognisable words. Shepard watched as the asari took a deep breath, and began speaking.

Her voice didn’t seem all that different, at first – Shepard caught the words “Liara T’Soni”, and guessed she was doing the same as Shepard had done. But there was something more musical, a kind of rhythm, to Liara’s speech that Shepard had never noticed before. She wondered, distantly, what the asari would sound like speaking English – real English, not the translator’s automatic version.

They spent a good twenty minutes exchanging words, and trying to associate them with hand gestures. After the initial embarrassment, Shepard felt more relaxed, back to her usual self. Even if she couldn’t understand a word of what Liara was saying.

Liara was animatedly saying something, gesturing excitedly with her hands. It looked as if she had made an important scientific discovery, and it was unbearably adorable. She could listen to Liara talk about how the Protheans disposed of their trash and it would still be interesting, in her eyes. Inwardly, she wanted to resist whatever charms Liara was unknowingly exhibiting on her – she was the commanding officer, for Christ’s sake, and falling for the only asari on the ship was a really dumb and stupid move.

“I’ve still no idea what you’re saying,” she told Liara, who smiled at her, “But I think you’re really cute and you need to _stop_ , dammit. I told myself I wasn’t going to fall for the next beautiful girl that came along and yet here you are, with absolutely no idea what I’m saying.”

The asari’s head tilted a little to the side, as if listening intently. She replied with something, quieter than her earlier enthusing, and Shepard could almost hear the words in a similar tone.

_I feel the same. You’re cute too. I like you._

At least that’s what the non-logical part of her brain liked to imagine. In reality, it was probably ‘did you know, the Protheans used to burn their dead on pyres’ or ‘the Protheans were responsible for many technological marvels we still use today’. But, you know, a girl can dream.

Liara smiled nervously, and replied. She was no longer gesturing animatedly, and seemed more subdued. After a few sentences, she trailed off, and Shepard decided that their experiment had probably gone on long enough.

“Okay.” She waved to Liara, and gestured putting her earpiece back in. Once both of their translators and omni-tools were fitted and working again, Liara was the first to speak.

“That was...fascinating, Shepard. Thank you for allowing me to hear your language.”

Shepard merely nodded. “You have a beautiful language. I had never heard an alien language before that wasn’t through my translator.”

“Likewise, Commander. We should do this again.”

There was an awkward pause.

“I...would like that. Definitely.” Shepard was babbling again, and she cringed. “Maybe we could try and actual learn what each other is saying this time?”

Liara’s eyes widened. “Oh yes! Perhaps learning an alien language will allow me to understand linguistics a little better. I should write this down...er, goodbye Shepard. And th-thank you, really.”

“No problem, doctor...” Shepard watched as Liara hurried back to her little office. She smiled to herself, shaking her head. What had she gotten herself into?

 

* * *

 

“Oh _man,_ ”

“She’s in deep.”

“Are we taking bets yet?”

Ashley, Kaidan, and Joker all probably had other things they could be doing, whilst waiting for their next set of orders from the Alliance. They _knew_ they shouldn’t be clustered around Joker’s vid screen, showing surveillance links to the rest of the ship, listening in on what seemed to be a very confusing situation.

“What’s going on here?”

The three of them jumped, guilty expressions on their faces. Dr Chakwas had popped her head around the doorway, an eyebrow raised.

Joker shrugged. “Uh, I was just, y’know, checking the surveillance cameras-”

“...Spying on the crew...” interjected Kaidan. Joker waved an arm.

“Yeah, whatever. So I was checking the feeds, and I noticed these two having a little discussion. Which isn’t anything new, T’Soni is always wanting to talk with Shepard, and _Shepard_ seems to have a weakness for beautiful asari. But this time they talk about, like, translators and stuff, and what they sound like without them!”

“And _then,_ they take them out and start talking,” said Ash, gleefully, “With no idea what each other is saying!”

Dr Chakwas frowned, catching on. “But _we_ can understand the two of them, because our translators are still in?”

“Exactly!” said Joker, snapping his fingers. “We’ve hit the jackpot.”

“I would just like to say,” added Kaidan, “That this wasn’t my idea.”

“Shut it, LT,” Ashley waved him down, “You’re invested now.”

“Yes, alright,” Dr Chakwas had sat down next to them, also looking at the screen. “Well, what happened?”

“Ooh, we’ll show you. Rewind to three minutes fifty-five,” Ashley pointed impatiently at the screen. Joker pretended to look annoyed.

“Okay, okay, I’m doing it.” He typed in some commands, and the screen showing the commander and the doctor sitting in the mess hall rewound. “This is the moment where we struck gold.”

_“I’ve still no idea what you’re saying, but I think you’re really cute and you need to stop, dammit. I told myself I wasn’t going to fall for the next beautiful girl that came along and yet here you are, with absolutely no idea what I’m saying....”_

Kaidan chuckled. “I still can’t get over that.”

“Shh, this is the good bit,” Joker held up a finger.

_“I...am not sure how to say this, Commander, so I am glad you don’t know what I’m saying. You are a fascinating person, and-and not just because of your unique insight into the Protheans – although that was what initially attracted me to you – and you are not like any human I’ve come across. I wish – goddess help me – that there was some way I could tell you without sounding foolish.”_

Joker paused the screen again. “Before that, they were just talking shit, like ‘my name is’ et cetera. But here – we got the goods on them.”

Dr Chakwas gave a sly smile. “And what are you going to do with that information?”

The pilot shrugged. “Keep it, I guess. I mean, we don’t want to ruin Shepard’s career or anything, I’m not a snitch. But, you know. Maybe when I want some extra time off.”

“In any case, we have confirmed that they have the hots for each other,” said Ashley. “They just don’t know it yet.”

Chakwas shook her head. “I have to say, you three are ridiculous.” Her voice lowered to a conspiratorial whisper. “But this is the most excitement I’ve had on duty for a long time.”

Joker chuckled. “Anytime, Doc.” Oh, he was going to have fun with this.

**Author's Note:**

> psa: i have no clue how translators actually work in-game so here is my humble attempt lol
> 
> i've been struggling with writer's block recently but i'm always open to talking about my shepards so there's more info on dana shepard's personality etc. on my  
> art/writing tumblr and my  
>  personal tumblr  !!
> 
> thanks again folks! x


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